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China has a border dispute with Bhutan but, because of India’s support, Beijing has not forced its hand. China, which wants to thwart Indian influence in Bhutan, has offered to open a diplomatic mission, an offer Bhutan has not permitted, writes J.K.Verma for South Asia Monitor. J.K.Verma Jan 1, 2019 China, the world’s

By Irtiza Nasim Ali/South Asian Monitor The elections to Bangladesh’s national assembly were far from credible. And as if the election results were not shocking enough—the Awami League bagging 288 seats while the main opposition BNP only managing to win five—the 47-member cabinet held more surprises than the proverbial Pandora’s box. The total absence of

By Prof. Swaran Singh/Ceylon Today 10 January 2019 Tuesday saw Sheikh Hasina being sworn in as Prime Minister of Bangladesh for the historic fourth time, and for the third consecutive term since 2009. Now, as her 41-member Council of Ministers – that includes 37 new faces – hits the ground running to fulfill her promised double-digit

Rajeesh KumarRajeesh Kumar is Associate Fellow at Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses, New Delhi. Click here for detailed profile. More from the author January 02, 2019 At an intergovernmental conference convened under the auspices of the United Nations in Marrakesh, Morocco, 164 nations adopted a pact on 10 December 2018 to manage the global migration

by P S Suryanarayana 10 January 2019 SYNOPSIS Buoyed by four summit meetings and the formation of a new people-to-people ‘mechanism’ in quick succession, China-India engagement appears to be on a firm track. Despite challenges, this marks an opportune moment to press ahead towards total rapprochement. COMMENTARY CHINA AND India have resorted to soft-power diplomacy

THURSDAY 10 JAN 2019 | SYDNEY by The Interpreter@lowyinstitute A worrying recent trend of violence outside of war zones, some of it state-sanctioned, has captured the attention of governments and, increasingly, the public. The Interpreter covered some of the best-known instances, and some sadly overlooked ones. On 4 March, former Russian intelligence operative Sergei Skripal and

Commentary

By James M. Dorsey 28 August 2018 Less than a week in office, Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan has made blasphemy one of his first issues, empowering militants and initiating international moves, long heralded by Saudi Arabia, that would restrict press freedom by pushing for a global ban. Mr.

by Fateh Najeeb Bhatti 27 August 2018 Old cronies Turkey and the US have recently come to the crossroads owing to the distrust arising out of the detention of the US pastor Andrew Brunson who has been accused of anti-Turkish state activities. This has resulted in harboring countermeasures against Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s Turkey.

by Natasha Fernando 27 August 2018 Recently, the Japanese Minister of Defence Itsunori Onodera, the Ambassador of Japan in Sri Lanka Mr.Kenichi Sugunuma, Defence Advisor to the Japanese embassy Captain Atsuhiro Morore, and representatives of Japanese government paid a visit to Sri Lanka’s Eastern Naval Command Headquarters in Trincomalee and the Hambantota Port. The Japanese have

by Amit Singh 27 August 2018 With Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s right-wing Bharatiya Janata Party in power, hardcore nationalist and fundamentalist forces have been emboldened to suppress free expression and dissent — anyone criticising government are termed as anti-national, and being slapped with sedition and defamation charges. Indian Constitution not only empowers media and free thinkers, but

Venita Christopher 27 August 2018 For the last few decades, President Putin has been warm to Pakistan which has led to increased expectations from Pakistan. The bilateral ties have witnessed many ups and downs however the new positive trending relations between Russia and Pakistan is quite a new phenomenon. Some significant changes have

By: Ahyousha Khan 27 August 2018 In complex and dynamic South Asian security structure, new security concerns are evolving without the previous ones being resolved, leading to further deterioration of regional security. Security dynamics of the region are dominated by the power play between nuclear arch-rivals of the region – India and Pakistan.

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By: Rajit Das 22 May 2019 The world’s largest democracy is going through with elections to elect the new prime minister of India. After five years of rule under the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) under the leadership of Narendra Modi, the citizens of India are making their voices heard by practicing their democratic franchise of

By M Adil Khan 16 May 2019 In Bangladesh incidents of loot, plunder, enforced disappearances, breakdown of rule of law, extra-judicial killings, deaths and injuries in road accidents through reckless driving have become parts of daily news. Lately, news of audacious rapes, abductions of girls and women and sexual harassments in almost all parts of